


Beginnings

by squirrelwriter36



Category: Brave (2012), Frozen (Disney Movies), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), Rise of the Guardians (2012), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Beginnings, Crossover, Dragons, Healing Magic, Ice Powers, rise of the brave tangled frozen dragons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22221952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squirrelwriter36/pseuds/squirrelwriter36
Summary: Three hundred years ago, Jack Frost died, and the Man in the Moon resurrected him as a winter spirit.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. Chapter 1

He remembered very little – faintly, he heard a voice, a little girl’s shriek. The crackling of the ice, the single moment where the whole world stopped before the inevitable plunge into darkness.

Above, the moonlight called to him, urging him to fight. Phantom hands sliced through the water, latching around his wrists, his waist, his legs, pulling him closer to the surface.

Gasping, Jack Frost rose from the still water, pitching forward until his knees and hands slid across the ice. A breath of cold clarity sang through his body, banishing the sleepiness that stubbornly clung to his mind.

The weight of the world around him pushed against his shoulders as he stood on shaky legs. One step, then two, arms spinning in a desperate attempt to maintain balance, Jack try to slide his way to the snowy bank. He reached out, just missing the outstretched branch, and again toppled over, falling over a gnarled staff.

 _Almost there. Almost…a step closer. Closer_.

A little girl, quivering, scared, skates slipping on the cracking ice. The memory was brief, but it seared through his mind. This staff had somehow played a part in that incident.

His hands closed around the rough surface, the touch instantly sprouting curling tendrils throughout the staff. Jack could feel the magic stirring under the wood, could feel it wrapping around his wrist, circulating throughout his body.

Whatever apprehension he had felt now scattered with the surging rush of strange exhilarating joy. Jack swung the staff, laughing excitedly as powdered snow showered the frozen pond. Suddenly, his fumbling feet felt sure.

He pushed forward, skating, painting decorative lines across the ice. The snow rose at his command, blanketing him in a secure cocoon. Suddenly, a rush of wind lifted him into the air, catching him off guard. He turned, arms outspread, fingers finding purchase around the top of a tree.

As he caught his breath, Jack surveyed the snowy landscape. Mountains surrounded the frozen pond and the forest, gliding down towards a village. Summoning the wind once more, the boy launched himself towards the thatched roofs.

He expected to find people.

He never thought he’d find himself in the middle of a battle. 

“You cannot stop me!” A voice screeched, every word seeming to scratch the night air. “No one can!”

Jack immediately flattened himself against the roof, crawling forward until he could see over its edge. The thrum of beating wings pulsed in his ears as a shimmering mass of feathers whizzed by.

“Sandy, over there!”

Golden dust snapped in the air, a thin whip that slammed into a wall of dancing shadows. A short fat man hurtled by, floating on a cloud of sand.

“Behind you, old man!”

A wooden object shattered the glittering mare as the bearded man swerved his red sleigh around a house. Two large feet landed next to him.

“Shouldn’t be outside, kid,” the tall rabbit said, catching the boomerang as it returned to him. “Get back to your bed. This will all be over by sunrise.”

“Is that all you pathetic weaklings can muster?”

Down below, the villain emerged in the town square, framed by the moonlight. Jack shivered, an instinctive response – the thin man simply radiated fear, pouring that nauseating feeling into everyone around him. The three defenders of the village seemed to feel it too, nervously shrinking back with every step the man took.

“Let’s see how your precious master reacts when I eliminate this village!”

The man stomped his foot. Shadows poured from his heel, shattering doors, knocking down walls as they raced throughout the village. 

The shock wave knocked Jack off the roof. He slammed his staff into the ground, clinging desperately as the horses flooded the surrounding forest, stripping the leaves away from their branches, evaporating the snow. Eventually, though, he lost his grip, the power pushing his staff away from the ground, launching him into the air.

His body spiraled out of control, the wind now pushing away from the scene, further and further away until he could no longer recognize where he was going.

* * *

It was rare that they’d get a chance to fly out together. As chief of Berk, his time was primarily occupied with village talk and dragon rescues. Toothless often had to fly out with Astrid and Stormfly.

Their brief happiness passed as a boy spun across their path, slamming once into the ground, then bouncing against the trees.

“It’s all right, Toothless.” Hiccup stroked the Night Fury’s head before gripping the saddle’s handles. “Let’s follow.”

The dragon tilted left, and the two zipped after the mysterious blue figure.


	2. Chapter 2

“What is their condition?”

Hiccup glanced into the building, counting the number of sickened villagers. Most were Berkians, the rest comprising of travelers and merchants seeking safe harbor.

“Delusions,” the healer said as she handed her notes to the chief. “Fevers. Increased heartbeats. Many are prone to nightmares.”

A wail sounded from the back, where the worst were quarantined behind thick curtains.

“And those prone to such nightmares cannot be woken,” the healer said. “Something keeps them locked in their minds, something that terrifies them. They will die from the stress if we cannot solve this problem soon.”

A Flightmare was known to produce frightening sounds, but it was rare for the dragon to attack ships and to venture so far from its territory. The Whispering Death, or at least a new unidentified mutation of it, could be another logical explanation, but nothing explained the deep sleep.

“This crisis started when you rescued the stranger two weeks ago,” the healer said. “If a dragon is not responsible for this, then the answer has to lie with him. Everyone agrees.”

“Keep them alive as long as possible,” Hiccup said. “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

She was correct, of course. Berk only had to deal with dragons and dragon slavers before the stranger crashed into the forest. Once he had brought the boy into the village, this mysterious illness had begun afflicting his people and anyone who landed on the shore.

The boy had to be questioned, but first, he had to wake.

Hiccup approached the locked door, a half-finished house without a roof, but with high walls to prevent an escape. Toothless guarded the building, perched above so that it could keep an eye on their prisoner. Upon his approach, the dragon growled softly, shaking its head.

Letting himself inside, the chief retook his position on the floor and waited for the boy to move.

* * *

_The nameless man rose soundlessly, his back towards him, framed by the moon. Writhing shadows encircled him, a dark ring protecting him from the Guardians’ light. As he watched, the villain slowly turned his head, fixing him in place with glowing yellow eyes._

_“You cannot stop fear.”_

_He took a step back as the darkness crept forward._

_“You cannot stop me.”_

He woke once more in darkness, thrashing in a suffocating heat. 

“Whoa, slow down there!” Hands pushed against his shoulders and prevented him from moving. “Name’s Hiccup. Chief. You’re on Berk.”

Berk? Panic vanished, replaced by confusion. He was outdoors, surrounded by walls, resting upon a bed of warm furs. The sunlight beamed down, wrapping around a man’s shoulders and…

“What is that?”

Hiccup looked up, beckoning the black shape closer. “This is Toothless. Last of its kind.”

The creature landed softly on the ground, cautiously sniffing his bed. It growled at him, a warning mirrored by a flash of its sharp teeth.

“But _what_ is it?”

“You mean you’ve never seen a dragon before? Everyone around here knows what one is.”

“I’m not from around here. Do you mind if I move?” Jack glanced at Toothless, the beast far too quiet, far too observant. “It won’t attack?”

“Oh, sorry about that. Toothless, don’t scare the boy anymore.” To his astonishment, the chieftain pushed against the dragon’s head and shoved the creature away. “There’s nothing to worry about – you would have been a pile of ashes two weeks ago if Toothless regarded you as a threat.”

The creature’s behavior instantly changed. Thin pupils widened, its mouth opening to reveal retracting teeth and a goofy grin. Its tail wagged fervently, thumping against the sides of the building.

Jack slowly sat up, groaning as his head protested the movement. Two weeks…he had been sleeping for that long, trapped in that nightmare. He shivered, recalling the visions, the encroaching darkness, the impatient mares stomping their glittering dark hooves, the downward spiral into an inescapable…

_Nightlight._

“You’re close. Toothless is actually a Night Fury.”

He blinked, glancing at the chief.

“It’s not a Nightlight. There’s no dragon named that. Or at least one we know of.”

The door suddenly burst open.

“Snotlout, what’s wrong?” Hiccup turned towards the man.

“Astrid. She’s fallen ill.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait - I've managed to iron out most of the kinks, so it should be smooth writing from this point on! Thanks to all my readers!


	3. Chapter 3

By nightfall, the village had rebelled, Berkians gathering in the main hall to protest the stranger’s rescue. Even Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins, his closest friends and advisors, gave into the hysteria and spearheaded the movement to oust the quiet boy from Berk, to move him to Outcast Island and leave him to the wild dragons.

Hiccup resorted to standing on his chair for height, shouting above the growing cacophony of worried voices.

“Astrid has fallen ill, and you’re refusing to banish the person who caused it!” a villager shouted from the huddled mass, his accusation supported with enthusiastic fervor. “What kind of leader are you?”

“We do not know if the boy is behind this disease!” Hiccup protested. “There could be any number of reasons for Astrid’s collapse, for everyone’s illness!”

“But a dragon never approached her,” Fishlegs said, “and no one else was near her when she collapsed.”

True, according to Snotlout, Astrid had been with him counting the number of dragons currently running rampant on an overpopulated Berk. No one had attacked her with a poisoned dart, and no new dragon had burst through the ground or fell from the sky. She had been talking about her day when she collapsed without warning.

What could he possibly do? Hiccup could only agree with the villagers halfway. This mysterious disease had begun with the arrival of the boy, but the stranger never seemed to harbor any kind of malice. In fact, he reminded Hiccup of himself, a lost child who did not understand himself, who had gained the ire of everyone around him just by being confused.

“There has to be something we haven’t thought of. Another explanation for this situation,” he tried to reason. “Maybe - ”

“No, I have a solution,” Snotlout said. “Either you banish him, or we’ll do it for you.”

* * *

The blonde moaned softly when Hiccup pulled the furs to her chin. She frowned, mumbling incoherent words, weakly shoving against an invisible assailant. Despite the healer’s protest, Hiccup had chosen to house Astrid in their home. The healing hall was already too close to overflowing. Ten more cases, mostly children, had fallen ill during the meeting. If this disease was contagious, then he had already been exposed from the moment he brought the boy home from the forest. 

“You shouldn’t be out.”

Hiccup turned to the door where the stranger stood, nervously clutching the doorframe. Toothless’ steps shook the dust from the rafters.

“I never meant to cause all this.” The boy stepped into the room. “I did all this, didn’t I?’

Hiccup sighed and shrugged. “It started when I brought you into the village, but I know you never meant to cause all this. If you did, then you certainly don’t know how to control it.”

The boy pointed to a seat, taking it once Hiccup gave his permission. They awkwardly sat in silence, listening to Toothless turn circles on the roof, deep low growls warbling into the air. Perhaps the villagers had spied the stranger entering his home and wanted to protect their chieftain, their advance only stopped by the Night Fury.

“I’m sorry. I never caught your name.”

“Jack Frost,” the boy whispered. “And I never thanked you for putting me in that house, even as a prisoner.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” Hiccup said. “The villagers want me to take you to Outcast Island, where the wild dragons are.”

“But you don’t want to.”

Jack seemed relieved when he nodded his head. The child’s gaze fell from Astrid to his leg.

“Did you lose your leg because of me too?”

“This thing?” Hiccup stretched out his prosthetic, glad to talk about something other than this illness. “No, Toothless did this to me. Bit my leg clean off in his attempt to rescue me from a fiery death. Probably ate it too, now that I think of it.”

They lapsed back into silence. The fire in the center of the house crackled quietly.

Then, a soft wavering melody - Jack had begun singing.

“Sorry, it just slipped,” the boy whispered. “It’s a…I think it’s a lullaby. I remember someone singing it to me whenever I felt terrible.”

Whatever Jack said seemed to spark something in Hiccup. The chieftain abruptly rose, hobbling over to a bookshelf.

“Merchants often come to this island with stories. Where is it…” Hiccup studied his stack of books before pulling one from the middle, blowing the dust from its pages as he flipped through it, stopping at the appropriate page. “Yes! One of them spoke of a great healer with magical hair, capable of curing anything, even old age.”

Jack frowned. “Magical hair curing old age? It sounds like a fairy tale.”

“And right now, it’s my best shot at curing Astrid, at saving my people,” Hiccup said. “No death is acceptable, not while I’m Berk’s chief.”

The chieftain strode towards the table, beckoning Jack to bring over a candle. He produced a worn map, rolling it onto the surface. Hiccup placed a token where they were and another south of it, at their supposed destination, in a blank section of the map.

“We need to go to Corona.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they're off to see the wizard! Who do you think they're talking about? 
> 
> Thanks to my readers!


	4. Chapter 4

Her mum tucked the piled furs closer around the ailing king. Perhaps she had hoped that the increased warmth would somehow shock Fergus into waking. Instead, the king mumbled, eyes sealed shut as hands struggled against the new restraints.

She tried to stay still, not wanting to interrupt this tender moment between her parents. Her mum usually kept her emotions hidden, preferring to show a calm and collected exterior to her audience.

It was rare to see her cry.

“Oh, Merida!” The queen hurriedly dried her eyes and rose from the bed. “I didn’t see you there.”

“You weren’t supposed to,” she said. “Where’s your talisman?”

Her mum patted her neck, feeling for the corded leather. With a relieved sigh, she pulled out the amulet, settling it on top of her dress.

The witch had promised that fixing their broken bond would allow her mum to become human. However, they had repaired their bond at the edge of dawn. The curse still lingered, still revealed itself in any fit of rage. When it first happened, they had been arguing over dinner, and the second time, over a pair of ill-fitting shoes.

For now, the witch’s amulet kept the queen’s transformations in check, but her mum now had to wear it for the rest of her life.

“No improvement?” Merida asked.

Her mother shook her head. “I think he worsened over the night.”

Another fault of her own, no doubt. She should never have followed the wisps into the forest two nights ago. If she had just stayed put in the stronghold, then she’d never have found that staff and brought it back.

“It is not your fault, Merida,” Elinor said. “No one could have predicted that the staff would cause this.”

“I should have known!” she said. “I should have known because following the wisps always leads to something terrible! I almost _lost_ you, Mum!”

“But in the end, our bond grew so much stronger.” Her mother smiled. “Come, let us - ”

The ground shook. Outside, several guards began to shout, yelling for men to take arms and aim.

Merida took in a quiet breath and shakily exhaled. Despite the warmth from the fireplace, her breath puffed before her eyes, and she shivered. Likewise, her mum barely suppressed her own shudder.

A passing wail whispered past her ear. She whipped her head to the side, a hand instinctively reaching back to pull an arrow from her quiver.

Her fingers clutched the emptiness, reminding her how vulnerable she was.

Again, the whispering wail howled past her, spinning her around. The invisible enemy danced into the room, snuffing out the firelight.

“Don’t,” her mum whispered when she crept towards the door.

She picked up a stool’s splintered leg, swinging it around as she charged out of the room.

“Ay, watch it!”

Her weapon clacked off Hamish’s raised shield.

“Be _careful_ ,” Hamish hissed. “I can’t find the other two.”

Suddenly, the walls around them gave way, showering them with rubble. Hamish quickly grabbed Merida, pulling her underneath his shield, grunting as debris showered his back. Through the opening, dark horses with glowing eyes of red reared, rising as one black wave, high, high in the sky, before thundering down into the throne room.

As Merida pulled herself free from Hamish’s grasp, her eyes fell upon a discarded bear talisman.

“Mum!”

With a roar, the transformed queen surged out of the room. Blinded with anger, the bear struck the balcony, plunging into the writhing mass of horses below.

“We can’t hurt them, Merida!” an archer shouted as he was pulled into the shimmering dust and swallowed whole.

 _Fear_ …

Hamish charged before her, wildly swinging his blade. The shattered horses only reformed larger, stronger. A calculated swipe knocked him off his feet and dragged him into the darkness.

_Despair…_

“I don’t…” A chill settled under her skin. The world slowed to a crawl, devolving into a blurred mess, screams ringing in her ears.

She’d never felt so scared before. Not even when she was confronted by Mor’du. No, what she felt was something completely different, completely foreign.

 _Don’t fight the fear, little girl_.

“Merida! We need you!”

The voice was distant.

“ _Merida!_ ”

Her knees struck the ground. She curled into herself, clutching her eyes.

The horses descended.

Then, a flash of purple light – the thickening dust cloud suddenly broke apart as a black shape zipped over their heads.

“What is that?!”

The dark shape rose in the air at an impossible speed before plummeting again. Another flash of purple light, and a second explosion rocked the night air.

As if sensing this new threat, the thundering horses turned their heads towards the sky and ascended, twirling, twisting, funneling after the strange beast.

“Are you all right?”

She unfurled, peeking through red curls at a white-haired boy, his clothes far too thin for a place as close as this. He held out a hand – she hesitantly took it, shocked to find how cold his skin was.

“Who are you?”

She looked up. The horses had trapped their rescuer in a tightly shifting bubble.

Lightning flashed, summoned by an unearthly shrill. The forked bolt struck the cloud, rendering the horses into dust.

She struggled to her feet as the dark beast landed on the ground. Its rider quickly hopped off, removing his helmet.

“ _Hiccup_?”

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea for a long time and finally got around to writing it. It's a little weird, but I hope you guys enjoy!


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